Minimum number of replies

Minimum number of reviews

Minimum number of views

Been a long time coming, we found this and jacketed it back in October and was waiting for a friend to help with it since it's a new one to me, but he's rather busy so Skye ( @Jesuslover340 ) and I have decided to just do it and get it outta the way. We've started some prep but will be finishing it and updating the thread tommorow, sleep beckons and I'll leave you guys and gals with some teaser pics.
Goodnight!
ps: for those who already know the answer, shh

Ok, I am a novice to this whole fossil-prep thing....
So we found a couple of large (well, for us) bones in the field, and as they were starting to fragment a bit, we put a thin plaster jacket around it, and dug under the dirt to remove the blob, and packed the whole thing in foil.
Back home, I flipped the chunk upside down, and removed the dirt and prepped the bottom of the bone.
So now I have to do the top side...any tips on the next step? Am I over-thinking this, and the plaster hasn't bonded to the bone?

I found some fossils on private property that I may not remove. What materials can I use to make some impressions? I make plaster casts of animal foot prints all the time, but this is different.
These are ones for which I have photos, but there are a zillion more in this area....some of these are probably not fossils.

I've started to put together an entry for the "Paleo Re-creations" forum but it will take some time to get all the info entered in and ready to post. My first step has been to create a gallery. I've begun to garnish it with information regarding each plaster or resin cast. Currently, I have the album loaded to the gallery titled "My fossil replicas (casts in plaster and resin)." My Isotelus replica has comments attached now. I'll provide information about each image via comments. Upon completion of that task, I'll write a short article posted here on "Paleo Re-creations" describing my successes and failures so that we can have discussions regarding making fossil replicas as amateurs. I am looking forward to learning a great deal from each of you on this subject. What I know I will happy share with all of you. Bill Heimbrock - billheim@cinci.rr.com

This is a plaster cast of an Isotelus maximus trilobite from the Late Ordovician of Cincinnati, Ohio that I produce for my fossil club for sale at gift shops in the area. 100% of the money goes to the club and I bill the club for the materials. Sales have been kind of slow. It's not a popular item for some reason. Not sure, but my hand paining is a little splotchy and I guess people have been desensitized to replicas because of mass production.
The plaster is just plaster of Paris I buy in a big bag at hobby stores. I first spray paint the whole thing, top and bottom with grey primer. After a couple of days, I use masking tape to cover the top of the shale, leaving only the trilobite exposed. I then spray paint it with dark taupe and then with the same paint in dark brown. I immediately wipe most of the dark brown off with a paper towel, leaving the darker colors in the grooves the same way you would see it look on a real Isotelus trilobite. A final touch before removing the masking tape is to buff the trilobite with a shammy cloth or lint free cloth.
Yes, I have to touch up the shale with paint after I remove the tape. The tape does not do a perfect job of masking these fine details.
Send questions to the Paleo Re-Creations Forum.